The first of its kind in Ireland, the innovative and environmentally-friendly app puts you in touch with other parents, charities and businesses in your local area with whom you can swap, take or give up a toy.

You can use filters on the app, such as age of the child, description of the toy, or the community rating of the exchanger, to find the right exchange for you.

There’s no waste involved, no expense and you’ll declutter your home whilst making another child very happy.

Buying new toys can do serious damage to your bank account, and another great feature of the app is helps to keep costs to a minimum.

The app uses Appytoy points to exchange toys, according to Sharon Kirkpatrick who is the marketing manager behind the app.” To earn a point, you have to give away your toy”, she explained to The Green New. “Then you can spend your point by getting another toy from someone else.”

Users earn a point regardless of the size or original cost of the toy. Ms Kirkpatrick said this is because “small children do not have the concept of value [and] like all toys the same.”

A user doesn’t have any toys to give away, they can buy points from Appytoy for €1.99. “The more points you buy, the cheaper it is. For example, 5 points cost 5,99 Euro.” Ms Kirkpatrick added. Charities also get significant reductions for buying Appytoy points.

Shockingly, Appytoy’s preliminary research found that a shocking possible 99% of unused toys go to landfill or live a lonely life in the attic.

So, if you’re a parent like me, who wants to teach your child how to share, re-use and protect the planet, all while saving money and decluttering your home, I recommend you give the app a go.

You can download the app, or nag your friends and family with kids to download it here.

About the Author

Sorcha McManigan

Sorcha has a Degree Honours in Journalism with French from DIT and is passionate about social issues and radio production